The 5 ways poverty is shaping children's lives in Kent

Kent children in poverty are more likely to skip school (Image: Getty Images)

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It showed that even from the earliest stages, living in poverty is a key determinant of how well a child does.

How is poverty affecting education?

1. Poor writing skills

Barely half (52 per cent) of children on free school meals - those whose parents receive benefits like income support, jobseeker’s allowance, or universal credit - reached the expected levels in writing during Year 1, when a child is five or six.

That compares to 76 per cent for those not on free school meals.

2. Poor reading skills

Fewer than six in 10 (59 per cent) of children on free school meals meet targets for reading, compared to 80 per cent not on free school meals.

There are similar attainments gaps for maths (62 per cent versus 81 per cent) and science (73 per cent versus 88 per cent).

Children in poverty are more likely to struggle with their reading and writing (Image: PA)

3. Lower GCSE grades

Poorer children never catch up after falling behind, with Kent teenagers who received free school meals achieving an average of grade C in their GCSEs in 2017/18.

Children not on free school meals scored an average grade of B.

4. More truancy

The poorest children are also more than three times as likely as likely to miss school without a good reason, the investigation found.

Primary-aged youngsters on free school meals had an average of five days’ unauthorised absence a year in 2017/18 - more than three times the 1.5 days of other children.

That gap only widens as the child gets older.

The average secondary pupil in Kent on free school meals misses an average of nine days a year through unauthorised absence, compared to two days for those not on free school meals.

5. Less likely to go to university

Meanwhile, the poorest children are also far less likely than their peers to go on to top universities.

Overall, 11 per cent of children in Kent are on free school meals, but these children make up just four per cent of children in the city who go to Russell Group universities - the most prestigious in the UK.

Children who received free school meals scored less on average in their GCSEs (Image: Daily Record)

Why are the poorest children suffering?

Alison Garnham, Chief Executive of Child Poverty Action Group said: “It’s harder to excel in school when you’re hungry in lessons, when you can’t do extra-curricular activities and there isn’t money for books or a computer or even a space to study at home.

“Unless we act to stop child poverty rising, we will be jeopardising the childhoods and life chances of a future generation.”

Emma Lewell-Buck, Labour MP and Shadow Minister for Children and Families, said: “Thanks to our government, austerity and punitive welfare reforms have ripped away the safety net that once existed.

“Child poverty is only going to get worse under this government.

“It is no surprise that children in poverty are falling behind at school.